We finally got two official trailers - one short, one longer - for "The Day of the Doctor," along with another BBC preview clip released last Friday for the annual Children in Need telethon. Also last week, the Beeb put out "The Night of the Doctor," the first mini-episode prequel to the 50th-anniversary Doctor Who special. The trailers sparked excited speculation about what this landmark episode has in store, but the minisode gave us a really awesome surprise: Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor (finally sporting some decent footwear) in a nearly seven-minute story that wove some of his peripheral-media adventures more tightly into TV Who, waved to the Classic Series by reintroducing the Sisterhood of Karn (last seen in the 1976 Fourth Doctor serial "The Brain of Morbius") and showed us more background on John Hurt's mysterious incarnation of the Doctor (now dubbed the War Doctor).

In the trailers, we see Matt Smith's 11th Doctor meet David Tennant's 10th (and share cute moments of mutual admiration and disdain), and witness the return of companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). Not to mention, Daleks! Zygons (Zygons?)! Fez play! Ten on a horse! And Eleven dangling from the airborne TARDIS!

I'm guessing that the 75-minute special - which will be simulcast across the globe on Saturday, November 23, and even get special 3D screenings in movie theaters - has more surprises up its sleeve. But the existence of the minisode makes it pretty clear that, despite the hopes of many fans, we really won't be getting a deluxe episode packed with former Doctors and their companions. (Although you never know. One thing we've learned about showrunner Steven Moffat is - as he's so fond of saying about the Doctor - Moffat lies.) Here's why that's good - and bad.

1. Well, Obviously...

It's disappointing that (if?) the 50th-anniversary special won't be including all 11 of the Doctor's known incarnations - although rumors persist that all of them will appear, if only in voice form. But I doubt it, because Moffat has repeatedly said he's focusing on the Doctor's future, telling U.K. newspaper The Telegraph, "I didn't want this to be a celebration of the past." Then again, this is the guy who put the faces of all the Doctors in his very first episode as showrunner ("The Eleventh Hour"), so who knows?

Anyway, of course there are real, practical reasons for not including all versions of the Doctor on screen. For one, three of the actors - First Doctor William Hartnell, Second Doctor Patrick Troughton and Third Doctor Jon Pertwee - are dead. For two, most of the surviving actors no longer look like they did when they played him. After all, this isn't a charming bit of fannish wish fulfillment like "Time Crash," the 2007 Children in Need short in which Moffat brought Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor face-to-face with Tennant's incarnation in the TARDIS. All it took then was a joking aside to shrug off Davison's older, stouter appearance, but it would be tough to suspend disbelief over how much Four's Tom Baker (shown above), Six's Colin Baker and Seven's Sylvester McCoy have aged in this longer, more epic adventure story. (Although rumor has it there will be another minisode featuring Davison's Doctor, so hmm.)

2. Then Again...

"The Night of the Doctor" is as thrilling as any of Moffat's best work - and a clever clarification of which Doctor was actually involved in the Time War. The only problem is, it makes me want more McGann (shown above in the 1996 TV movie, his only previous on-screen appearance). He fully owns the character in this short, and - now that we've learned a little more about Eight's relationship with and attitude toward the Time War - I would love to see him interacting with 10, 11 and War. (It's a stone drag that Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor isn't in the mix too, but we all know his stern resolve to stay the hell out of the Whoniverse.)

Eight has had quite a life in peripheral media, such as his audio adventures for Big Finish, which apparently have become "canon" now, what with the mention in "Night" of his companions from those tales. So giving McGann a little more screen time in the actual special would be an even more awesome way to embrace his incarnation.

3. But It's OK, Because There's Really Not Enough Time

Moffat has written a typically sprawling tale that, according to the official BBC synopsis, leaps across space and time, from 2013, "when something terrible is awakening in London's National Gallery," to 1562, where "a murderous plot is afoot in Elizabethan England," to "somewhere in space," as "an ancient battle reaches its devastating conclusion" - aka the Time War. Also, "all of reality is at stake as the Doctor's own dangerous past comes back to haunt him."

Well, damn. That's a lot to cram into 75 minutes, and even a guy as prone to jamming everything and the kitchen sink into any given story might have trouble giving all 11 known Doctors, or even just Doctors Four through Eleven, enough screen time to make it worthwhile. Besides, there's Hurt's whole new War Doctor to deal with, and clearly that will be an epic and probably devastating tale. And that means...

4. We Need the Space

Ever since Hurt's Doctor popped up inside Eleven's time stream at the end of "The Name of the Doctor," Whovians have been wondering what the deal is with this guy. He's older, grizzled, battered and clearly carries a heavy-duty secret. So heavy, Eleven refers to him as someone who "broke the promise" he made to himself and doesn't have the right to be called "The Doctor."

We now know where Hurt's character fits in the Doctor's timeline, and how and why he was created, but there's still much to learn about him and the mostly unspeakable thing he did to end the Time War. So let's hope Moffat gives his story enough room to breathe.

5. Double the Doctors, Double the Fun

It's probably smarter to not crowd the screen with dusty ol' Doctors, and instead give the two most popular recent incarnations their heads. Just seeing Ten and Eleven side by side in the trailer is great fun. They coo over each other's brainy specs, clash over Eleven's TARDIS redo and flop onto their backs with arms crossed in stereo defiance of the forces trying to control them (or whatever).

Behind-the-scenes accounts say Tennant and Smith got on like a house afire - and attempted to out-Doctor each other with glee. It looks like their chemistry is going to be a highlight of the special, and clearly they should get as much space/time as possible to maximize that.

not to mention moffat really could have given the Daleks a break for a while and maybe revive other who baddies like the Rhani for she is long over due to pester the doctor . and maybe the toy maker. from way old who.

have to agree with this list perfectly including the bit about not having all the doctors together but moffat so far seem to be knowing what he is doing and can see due to the age of the actors now plus also not many companions either. and would add to the list if the thing can live up to the legacy of the doctor.

I'd love to see Donna Noble return for a bit if smack talking. She went from most hated companion to absolute favorite during her run. I'd certainly rather see her than yet another Rose appearance.

And as a fan who was re-introduced to the show via Eccleston, its not going to seem like a proper celebration without him and his FANTASTIC!, but I suppose I gotta respect the man's (horrible) decisions regarding his (certainly to fail now) career.

Maybe I'm not remembering it correctly, but I think in "Time Crash" Peter Davison was actually playing Sylvester Mccoys doctor, because Davison himself felt he looked too different to play his original role

"Then again, this is the guy who put the faces of all the Doctors in his very first episode as showrunner ("The Eleventh Hour")"

Except that gag was already used with Tennant and Morrissey in "The Next Doctor".

Other than that, yeah, I would like to see the Classic actors brought back (even as new characters working for UNIT), and mention of the last two series of Torchwood, which should have affected DW by their global scope. Don't count River out, either. Why would they write her out as dead when she died in her "first appearance", then in her second appearance claim, "I've seen all your faces. I almost need a spotter's guide!" when she's shown mainly interacting with 11?

So... this is going to be on at 2 in the afternoon? I'm thinking that makes it 11 AM for those of you on the west coast. Weird. I guess that keeps it all live and all, but I imagine a lot of people are going to miss that one.

God, you nailed it...no Captain Jack and my interest in the special dropped a couple points. He is a great character and even John Barrowman wanted to be a part of things too. Great list for sure as these are the same things I just said below.

My girlfriend pointed something out about Rose that I haven't seen discussed anywhere else. In the trailer you never see Rose with 10 or 11. You only see her by herself or with the War Doctor. this implies that shes not actually there. Not to mention during those times shes Bad wolf'ing it up or speaking prophetically it kind of compounds that theory.

At this point I have waaaaaaaaaay more anxiety and disinterest than anticipation. I will reserve final judgment until I see it but my major problem - and I admit this is based merely on perception of what we've seen and not fact - is it looks like this special is celebrating the last 8 years of the show instead of the last 50 (especially with the emphasis on the Time War). Also I still question the addition of Hurt's Doctor - put there to fill the void when Eccleston bowed out. Sure he might be a smokescreen for something else but if you couldn't get Eccleston than replace with McGann (who most people assumed was involved in the TW anyway). Not only would this have given Paul a true chance to shine but it would have been a nice link with the classic series, which is what's needed for the 50th. I realize it's a daunting task to cover all eras of the show to everyone's satisfaction but a) they had more than enough time to prepare and b) if Moffat is half the genius his fans say he is surely he could have pulled it off? But like I said, I'll wait till I see it before final praise/condemnation.

I'm incredibly sad that I won't be able to watch..For one, Don't have BBC America, and for two, that night is my cousin's birthday and engagement party, and I already agreed to go to out to dinner and bar hopping in the Highlands with them. I'll have to keep my fingers crossed that it will be on the internet somewhere the next few days...It's going to be hard being around all you guys who will see it, and not getting spoilers..I'll just have to keep my head low until I get a chance to see it..I will say however, that I am stoked to see what is going to happen.

@alatusmorsvoice I did notice that too which leads me to believe that maybe 10 figures a way to get in touch with Rose and tells her to go help 8.5 make his decisions who probably needs coaxing consider he'll probably have to make a tough decision again and will need pushing to do it.

@Nicnac For those in Canada, Space is also doing a ton of stuff too. Mind you I have been watching the highlight series of each doctor over the last couple of weeks. Man, that 80s Who theme song was amazing.

@PCabezuelo It would be enjoyable to see a better link to the classic series but some Who fans despise the McGann Doctor. The three Doctors and Five Doctors, the actors were all still relatively in and around the same age so to see them all together made a little bit of sense. But seeing Tom Baker or even Peter Davidson in the old costume would be more sad than good. Maybe these guys will have spots as back ground characters in which case i'm okay with this.

@Canadian.Scott@PCabezuelo Yes, I agree, it would be difficult. That's why I think it would be better to go the companion route. Most of them are still with us and you don't need to explain their ageing. Like I said, I'll reserve final judgement but if William Russell isn't in it, it's a huge wasted opportunity.

@PCabezuelo@brainlock72@Canadian.Scott@alatusmorsvoice I don't think we're going to see too much of Elizabeth I. She'll only be the set-up to 10's story and will be disappearing after Hurt/11 show up and they're taken captive, which somehow makes her mad at him (Zygon shenanigans?). This would then bridge into TSC and EOT1.

@PCabezuelo@Canadian.Scott@alatusmorsvoice except she was spotted by fans having dinner out with (I believe) David, John, and Jenna during shooting. Reports are, they all seemed chummy, so apparently they had been working together.

@grog1138@PCabezuelo I have a feeling Eccleston will be represented in some way, probably archival footage. If the War Doctor turns out to be a trick then possible we'll see McGann regenerate into Eccleston. Just theorizing though I have nothing to back that up.

@Gallen_Dugall@PCabezuelo I guess that's where we differ cause my expectations for the 50th anniversary were very high. Silly me, I thought the FIFTIETH anniversary would have been a bit more exciting. Heck, an animated episode with all 8 classic Doctors would have been fine.

@PCabezuelo I'll disagree. I'll be happy with a little more info on The Last Time War and some fun with Ten Inch and Smith. I keep my expectations low as the show is all over the place quality-wise and fun performances are about the only given.